When an aircraft is scheduled to embark on a reconnaissance mission it is outfitted with one or more sensors to accomplish the particular mission. In one scenario the sensors are carried in one or more pods which are hard mounted to points on the outside of the aircraft, typically located on the wing, nose or belly of the aircraft. With this configuration, access to the pods while in flight is practically impossible. Any change in sensors, due to a mission change, for example, would require the aircraft to return to base for a changeover.
An alternative approach would be to have a fleet of aircraft, each with a different sensor suite arrangement. This approach, however, is rather expensive in initial purchasing and subsequent maintenance of the equipment. In addition, each aircraft would have to be modified to install a pod, or pods, and would restrict the particular aircraft to one or two different mission types. If the type of mission is no longer required, the aircraft may have to be modified to accommodate another type of mission.
A sensor pod may be carried in a large aircraft and deployed when approaching a particular area to be surveyed, and retrieved back into the aircraft after the mission. In general, a change in mission while in flight would require a return to base since such systems are not reconfigurable in the air. In addition, when the sensor pod is deployed out the door of the aircraft, the aircraft cannot be pressurized, so as to attain higher altitudes, without significant structural modifications to the aircraft.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a reconnaissance pod system which can accommodate various sensors operating at different wavelengths, with the capability of changing sensors in flight. Further, the apparatus can be deployed at low altitudes and the aircraft may then proceed to higher altitudes, and be pressurized, with minor, or no modifications to the carrying aircraft.
A reconfigurable reconnaissance pod system of the present invention is adapted to be carried by an aircraft and includes a pod having an interior for placement of one or more sensors, selected from a suite of sensors. The pod structure includes a middle section and first and second end sections connectable with the middle section, and selected from a suite of end sections as a function of particular sensors used within said pod. The middle section includes at least one window aperture into which is placed an insert, selected from a suite of inserts as a function of particular sensors used within said pod. At least some of said suite of end sections are selected from the group including a) end sections having a window to transmit wavelengths in the visible portion of the spectrum, b) end sections having a window to transmit wavelengths in the invisible portion of the spectrum and c) end sections having no window. A deployment arrangement is included for deploying and retrieving the pod from the aircraft.